HNT All-Area Baseball Coach of the Year - Anthony Guida

HNT All-Area Baseball Coach of the Year -
Anthony Guida, South Plainfield
By GREG TUFARO •
STAFF WRITER •
June 20, 2010

Under Anthony Guida, the Home News Tribune's 2010 Coach of the Year, the South Plainfield High School baseball team had a record-setting season.
The Tigers set a single-season school mark for victories, ending the year with a 25-3 record that included a convincing 12-5 regular-season victory over NJSIAA Non-Public A South champion St. Joseph.
South Plainfield captured the Greater Middlesex Conference White Division title with a 17-1 record. It's lone divisional loss was a controversial 6-5 defeat at the hands of Monroe.
It took two future Division I pitchers — Dario Santangelo of Bishop Ahr (East Carolina) and Brandon Gonnella of Morristown (Towson) — to knock off South Plainfield. Bishop Ahr eliminated the Tigers from the GMC Tournament with a 9-1 quarterfinal win, while Morristown knocked South Plainfield out of the NJSIAA North 2 Group III Tournament with a 5-3 semifinal win.
South Plainfield features two HNT All-Area first-team selections in sophomore catcher Stephen Petriello and junior centerfielder Brandon Downes, whose 15 homers set a GMC record and were one shy of the state mark.
Guida's deep and balanced pitching staff boasted a 2.85 team ERA and benefited from exceptional defensive play. Senior second baseman Rob Pasternak was widely regarded as the conference's best defensive infielder.
The Tigers exceled off the field as well, raising more than $1,000 for Greater Middlesex Conference Autism Awareness weekend.
Guida credits varsity assistants William Mosca, James Darby, Mike Battista, Andrew Miller and Nick McKee with South Plainfield's success.
Guida was the head coach at Dunellen High School from 2007-08. In 2008, he led the Destroyers to a 10-0 division record and was named Gold Division Coach of the Year.
From 2002-06 he served as the freshman coach at South Plainfield, leading the Tigers to the 2004 GMC freshman conference tournament title.
Guida began his coaching career at Rowan University, where he served as an assistant from the fall of 1999 until the spring of 2001.
Guida played outfield at Brookdale Community College and Middlesex County College in 1996 and 1997, respectively, before transfering to Rowan University, where he started in the outfield for two years. As a senior in 1999, he helped lead Rowan to a 36-8 record and an NJAC championship.
Guida was a three-year starter at centerfield for Monroe High School, from which he graduated in 1995. He led the Falcons to the White Division title and the finals of the GMC Tournament in 1994. As a senior he was named All-Division, All-Conference and was selected to play in the GMC All-Star Game.

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